Railway-crossing.



No. 777.424. PATENTBD DEC. la, 1904.

G. W. LANCASTER.

RAILWAY CROSSING.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 2a, 1904.

No. 777,424. PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904.

G. W. LANCASTER.

RAILWAY CROSSING.

APPLmATIoN FILED JULY 29, 1904.

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Patented December 13, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEURGE WV. LANCASTER, OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.

RAIILWAYWCROSSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,424, dated December 13, 1904.

Application iiled July 29, 1904. Serial No. 218,705. (No model.)

T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Geenen 1V. LANcAs'rlln-z, a citizen of the United States, residing at Petersbu rg, in the county oi" Dinwiddie and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful 1mprovements in Railway-Crossings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railwayscrossings.

The principal object of the invention is to prevent accidents which :frequently occur at railway-crossings by a train on one track colliding with a train upon an intersecting track.

The invention aims, further, to simplify and improve the iorms of railway-crossings heretofore used to prevent accidents.

NVith the foregoing and other minor objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in a plurality ot' pairs of intersecting railroad-tracks, one track of each pair having parallel therewith a supplemental rail adapted to be actuated by the V[lange of a carwheel, automatic means for holding' each supplemental rail against the adjacent track, and means operated by each supplemental rail for opening a derail-switch upon the other pair ot' tracks and simultaneously actuating' a signal.

The invention also resides in the particular combination and arrangement ot' parts and in the precise details ot' construction hereinafter described and claimed as a practical embodiment of the invention.

1n the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciication, Figure 1 is a plan view of a railroad-crossing embodying the teatures oi the invention. lhig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar' section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. lis a scction on the line-1 4t o1" Fig. 1.

Like reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in the ditllerent ligures oi' the drawings.

The referencemumerals 1 2 indicate a pair of railroad-tracks which are intersected by a similar pair ot' tracks 3 4f. The tracks 1 2 and 3 4 are mounted upon sleepers 5 in any suitable manner, as shown. Extending parallel with the inner side oi" each pair of tracks 1 and 4 is a pair or' movable supplemental rails 6, the two supplemental rails 6 oi each pair o1 tracks beingl disposed on opposite sides of the crossing. Each of the supplemental rails 6 is formed with inwardly-bent ends 7. The supplemental rails 6 are adapted to be ilorccd away from the adjacent rails 1 or t by the flange oit' a car-wheel, and the movement of each supplemental rail serves through suitf able mechanism, hereinafter to be described, to actuate a derail-switch located upon the opposite pair ot' tracks. Disposed opposite each ol the movable supplemental rails 6 is a stationary supplemental rail 8, having inwardlycurved ends. lonnected in any suitable manner with each of the-stationary supplemental rails 8 is a set or plurality ot' casings 10, said casings being supported, preferably, upon the railroad-ties. Located in each of the casings 10 is a coilspring 11, as shown in Fig. 3, bearing against the piston-head12 of a rod 13, connected with the adjacent movable supplemental rail 6. The set or plurality olE coilsprings 11 serves as automatic means for holding the movable supplemental rails against the adjacent track 1 or 1, as the case may be. Attached to each of the movable supplemental rails 6 is a set or plurality of rods 111, which are connected with a set or plurality of bellcrank levers 15, attached in turn to a con necting-rod 16. Each'otl the connecting-rods 16 is connected, by means of a bell-crauk lever 17, with an actuating-rod 18. Each ol the actnating-rods 18 at each oi' its ends is connected with a bellcrank lever 19, which serves to operate a rod 20, connected with a derail-switch 21. Each of the rods 2O is also connected with a shifting lever 2Q, the free end of which slides upon a suitable trackway 23. Each of the derail-switches 21 is connected, by means of a rod 24, with a bell-crank lever 25, connected in turn, by means ot' a rod 26, with a bell-crank lever 27, which serves to actuate a signal-arm 28 to notify an approaching' train that the derail-switch is open.

Constructed as above described the operation of the "improved switch is as follows: It' a train be approaching the crossing on the pair ot' tracks 1 2, the flange of the car-whee1 will force the movable supplemental rail 6 away from the adjacent rail 1, thus actuating the connecting-rod 16, which in turn will actuate the rod 18, and thus open the derailswitches upon the pair of tracks 3 4, whereby a train approaching the crossing or said tracks 3 4 Will be derailed before it will have an opportunity to collide with the train upon the tracks 1 2. The signal-arm 28 will be drawn into position to indicate danger at the moment the derail-switch is open and will thus serve to notify the engineer of an approaching train that danger is ahead.

In its particular combination and arrangement of parts and in its precise details of construction the crossing of this invention constitutes an improvement over prior crossings of a similar character.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. The combination with intersecting pairs of railway-tracks, of a pair of supplemental rails parallel with one oi' the tracks of each pair on opposite sides of the intersecting point, automatic means for holding said supplemental rails against the adjacent tracks, a pair of derailswitches upon each pair of tracks, and means operated by the movement of the supplemental rails on one pair of tracks for opening the derail-switches upon the other pair of tracks.

2. rIhe combination with intersecting pairs of railway-tracks, a pair of movable supplemental rails parallel with the inner side of one of the tracks of each pair on opposite sides of the intersecting point, a stationary supplemental rail opposite each ot' the movable supplemental rails, a plurality of coil-springs connected with each of the movable supplemental rails and with the opposite stationary rail, a plurality of derail-switches upon each pair of tracks, and means operated by one of the supplemental rails on one pair of tracks for opening the derail-switches upon the other pairof tracks.

3. The combination with intersecting pairs of railway-tracks, a pair of movable supplemental rails parallel with the inner side of one of the tracks of each pair on opposite sides of the intersecting point, a stationary supplemental rail disposed opposite each of the movable supplemental rails, the ends of the stationary and movable supplemental rails being curved inwardly, a plurality of coil-springs connected with each of the stationary supplemental rails and with the opposite movable supplemental rail, a plurality of derailswitches upon each pair of tracks, and means operated by the movement of a movable supplemental rail on one pair of tracks for opening the derail-switches upon the other pair of tracks.

4,. The combination with intersecting pairs of railway-tracks, oi' a pair of movablesupplemental rails parallel with the inner side of one of the tracks on each pair on opposite sides of the intersecting point, a stationary supplemental rail disposed opposite each of the movable supplemental rails, a plurality of coil-springs connected with each of the movable supplemental rails and with the opposite stationary supplemental rail, a set or plurality of bell-crank levers operated by each movable supplemental rail, a connecting-rod operated by each set of bell-crank levers, an actuating-rod operated by each connecting-rod, a plurality of derail-switches operated by the actuating-rods, and asignal operated by each or' the derail-switches.

In testimony Whereol I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE WV. LANCASTER. l/Vitnesses:

C. SHEPHERD, C. L. THOMAS. 

